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3. Insulate Walls and Windows. Once the internal heat generation is reduced, the majority of cooling required will come from heat penetrating your home through the walls and windows. Consider installing energy efficient windows, doors and adding insulation.
Whatever insulation you have, the heat transfer to or from your house is proportionate to the difference between indoor and outdoor temperature. That means a 2 degree adjustment in thermostat setting will reduce cooling cost by 10 percent, and heating cost by 5%.
4. Do you really need air conditioning? Unless you live where summer temperatures are often above 90 F (33 C) you can probably do without AC. I even have a friend that lives where it regularly hits triple digits and doesn't need airconditioning. His secret, fans pulling cold air in at night and staying downstairs until after 5PM on hot days. Remember the Wind-Chill Factor used to give a sense of how cold it feels in the winter; well it still works in the summer to help evaporate the sweat from our bodies and make us feel cooler.
To get that wind chill effects in the summer, install ceiling fans in several rooms, and even on the porch. While a typical room AC would consume 1.5 Kwh of electricity, a typical ceiling fan would consume less than 300 Watts - that’s an 80% reduction in electricity. Per room, you end up saving $60-75/month per room!! What you end up saving is enough to pay for the purchase and installation of ceiling fans. And you’ll wake up without that dry scratchy throat.
Exhaust Fans, are also important to expel excess heat, moisture and odors from cooking and bathing and draw in fresh outside air.
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